Shoe-tree



A. R. ANDERSON.

SHOE TREE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I919- Patehted June 22, 1920.

m w W J R w UNITED, TAT S NT OF IC -v ARTHUR BIANDERSON, or NORTH ARLINGTON, new JERSEY.

SHOE-TREE.

To all whom it'mag concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residingat North Arlington,-in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe- Trees, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to formers for boots and shoes, and more especially to stretchers which are adjustable both laterally and longitudinally; andthe broad object of the invention is to produce .a shoe tree having spreading mechanismwithin its forward portion ortoe and stretching mechanism in rear of the same and so connected therewith that when the stretcher is actuated it simultaneously aotuatesthe spreader. The result is that the toe block or last can be made in a pair of complementary members while the heel block is a ball or knob which can be made in a single member, and when the stretcher is actuated one end bears this knob against the counter and the other endmoves the toemembers forward, but as the lastnamed end of the stretcher is connected with said toe members through the instrumen tality. of the spreader, such members are Imovedboth forwardly and outwardly and the action of the stretcher at the front end of the shoe is therefore made use of to spread the toe laterally. o

The invention includes speciallyformed toggle lever mechanisms for doing both the spreadingand the stretching,,a special form ofcoupling connecting the two mechanisms andpivoted to both so that the toe members may flex to; fit accuratelyinto the forward.

end of any make of shoe, 'specialmeans for varying the amplitude of the stretching toggle, and a plurality of means for holding this toggle in its distended condition'whatever its adjustment.

While these several features aredescribed inthe following specification as used in conjunction with each other, it is possible to employ them in other connections without de' parting from the spirit of the invention. The preferred constructionof parts and combinations thereof are set forth below and shown in the drawings wherein 1r e Figure 1 is a perspective view of this tree.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section. I I 1. Fig. 3- is aperspective detail of the coupin Thevboot or shoe to be t formed or treed Specification of Letters Patent. Patented h 22 A lication filed June-3o, 1919. Serial No.

will come in contact only with the-heel and toe lasts or blocks-which are preferably of wood as usual and with all sharp corners removed so that no injury will occur to the finest piece of foot wear, and no claim is made herein to the exact shape or material of these members although for sake of discrimination the heel block 1 is referred to as a ball or knob, and the complementary blocks in the front portion of the shoe as toe members 2 and 3. The former is mounted rigidly at the rear end of stretching mechanism yet to be described. One toe member 2 carries a pin 4 slidably mounted at 5 in the other toe member 3 so as to. guide these two parts as they move laterally outward and inward, although the guide might be omitted or might be replaced by any other form of guide. The inner faces of the-members arepreferably fiat as seen at 6, and internally provided with recesses 7' and channels 8 at their rear portions, bothopening out their rearends. The

spreading mechanism is capable of being Also the coupling best shown in Fig. 3 and which is pivotedto the spreader may swing from side to side within the rear portions of the recesses 7 so that the combined toe members may flex as'necessary to adapt them to the shape of the toe portion of the shoe being stretc ed. In a word, the last members which are preferably of wood as stated, are v shaped to fitthe shoe and to adapt them to the mechanisms described below.

The spreading mechanism is a toggle lever structure comprising two links 12 and 13 pivoted at'their outer ends at 18 within the channels of the toe members 2 and 3 and I connected with each other by a main pivot 11 beyond which said links extend for some little distance, andthej extended inner ends have longitudinal slots 14 overlapping each other in any position ,of the toggle. The length of the links from the main pivot 11 'to the end pivots 18, is such that when the main pivot'is moved forward the members .2 and 3 are distended but when the main pivot is retracted the members are. 0011-,

tracted and their faces thuscome into contact with each other. At thistime the slots 14 will overlie or lap'each otherthrou 11- .out mostof their length. -Fig. 2 shows t is spreader toggle as distended as far as the ously they could be continued.

The stretching mechanism is of toggle lever structure comprising two links 21 and 22, the former rigidly connected at its outer end with the rear last member or knob 1 and having a longitudinal slot 23 throughout most of the length of its body. The solid link 22 near its rear end carries a pin 2% over one end of which slides the slot 23. Pivoted on the other end of the pin is a metal strap 25, the strap having near its pivot a projection 26 zulapted to enter an indentation 27 in this face of the solid link near its extremity when the two links are in alinement. The strap is continued beyond its projection 25 and bent around the extremity of the solid link, with its other end lying upon the face of the slotted link, and a bolt 28 passes through the slot 23 and this end of the strap and carries a thumb nut 29. By loosening this nut the slot 23 can be adjusted over the shank of the bolt 28 and over the pivot pin 24:, and thus the length of this link of the stretcher toggle may be increased or diminished to fit various sized shoes. The projection 26 and depression 27 serve as one means for holding the stretcher in distended condition. A thumb piece 20 may be formed on the inner end of the solid link and bent aside over the upper edge of the slotted link as seen in Fig. 1, and this may'serve as a second means for holding the stretcher in distended condition, the main pivot 2& this time standing almost directly in line between the extremities of the links and the elements to which pressure is being applied.

. The coupling connecting the spreader and stretcher is what might be called a two-way link, and is stamped from sheet metal into the shape best seen in Fig. 3. At one side it has a flat body 30 whose lower edge is bent laterally and carried upward as at 31 to produce a channel 32 within which the forward end of the link 22 is pivoted at 33, and a third means for holding the stretcher in distended condition is thus provided when the lower edge of this link strikes the bottom of the channel. The other end of the body 30 is forked as shown at 3e, and the fork arms bent aside into horizontal lips 35 and 36 which overlie and underlie the rear ends of the forward toggle links 12 and 13, and a pivot pin 37 passes down through said lips and through the slots 14; as described above. Thus the coupling is connected with the spreader toggle on an upright or vertical pivot 37 which permits horizontal movement of the toggle lever and horizontal swinging of the spreader as a whole and of the toe members 2 and 3, and the coupling is connected with the stretcher toggle on alateral or horizontal pivot 33 which permits vertical movement of the toe members 2 and 3 as they accommodate themselves to The use of trees of this kind is well known. To adaptit to the shoe the members 2 and 3 may be replaced by others, or the pivot pins 18 maybe adjusted to different holes 18 so as to vary the point at which the expansion of the toe member is the greatest. To further adapt it to shoes of various length, the thumb nut 29 is loosened on the bolt 28 and the slot 23 slid over the same whereby the effective length of the link 21 may be varied. It is found that these several adjustments are sufiicient to adapt the tree to nearly all the sizes of shoes nowon the market. In use, the stretcher toggle is broken by holding down'its ends and raising its center as by lifting the thumb piece 20. Then the toe members 2 and 3 are put into the shoe and borne forward, the knob or heel member 1 put into the shoe against the counter, and pressure applied downwardly to the thumb piece 20. This distends the rear or stretcher toggle which of course moves downwardly in a vertical plane as the pivot pin 33 permits, said pin presses the coupling forward, the pivot pin 37 moves forward in the crossed slots 14, and the spreader toggle is opened or distended in a horizontal plane. This spreads the toe members as the pin and guide 4 and 5 permit, and meanwhile they can flex horizontally on the upright pivot 37 and vertically on the horizontal pivot 33; and the forward pressure imparted by the stretcher and resisted by the counter is therefore converted within the toe of the shoe into pressure forward and simultaneously outward in both directions and 7 therefore the shoe is spread at the same time that it is stretched. It is obvious that this device is useful both as a tree for keeping foot wear in shape over night or while not in use, and as a former for stretching or spreading shoes that are too short or too narrow. Vhile not so shown, the device may be made in rights and lefts. The several means described for holding the stretcher in distended condition will any or all of them support the metal out of contact with the insole, and thus the lining of the finest foot wear is not injured by the use of this tree.

In the case of medium sized forms, the movement of the in 37 from the rear ends of the elongateds ots 14 to the forward ends of the same separates the sections2 and 3 about one-half of an inch.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a stretcher for use as described, the

. tending through said strap and said elongated slot.

2. A toggle lever comprising a link having a longitudinal slot, a second link, a pin carried by the second link and arranged in the slot of said first named link, a strap secured to said pin and extending beyond the second link and bent into contact with the first named link, a fastening device extending through said strap and said elon gated slot whereby the effective length of the first named slot may be varied, said second named slot and the adjacent portion of said strap being provided with means for securing the first and second named links in alinement.

3. A shoe form including toe and heel members, a link connected to the toe member, a second link connected to the heel memberand having a longitudinally extending slot, a pivot pin carried bysaid first named link and extending through said slot,

a-strap connected to said pivot pin and extending beyond the same, and an adjusting screw extending through said strap and said longitudinal slot whereby the effective length of said second named'link may be varied, the free end portion of said second named link and the adjacent portion of said strap being provided with interfitting notches to secure said links in alinement.

4. A shoe form including toe and heel members, a link connected to the toe memher, a second link connected to the heel member and having a longitudinal slot in its forward end portion, a pivotpin carried by said first named link and extending through said slot, a strap connected to said pivot pin and extending beyond said first named link, an adjusting device extending through said strap and said slot whereby the effective length of said second named link may be varied, the free end portion of said first named link and the adjacent portion of said strap being provided with means adapted to secure said first and second named links in alinement, and a thumb piece carried by the rear end of said first named link.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

[ARTHUR R. ANDERSON; 1 5. 

